Fair Kyoto
by stony brook
Summary: AU: In the streets of fair Kyoto, two gangs wage war. Their fractioned control over the metropolis leaves the police quite helpless. Caught in the middle is one, Kamiya Kaoru, and her unlikely rescuer, Himura Kenshin. Yet things are never quite as the
1. Chapter 1 The Boss

Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter One: The Boss  
  
A sickly ray of light filtered through the blinds, landing on the face of a young woman. Lying on the futon, one would assume that she should be asleep, however sleep had refused to claim her. Glassy blue eyes squinted as the unwelcome light temporarily blinded her vision. Kamiya Kaoru struggled out of the heavy blankets and rose to her feet.  
  
Too late for rest now, there's work to be done. Kaoru sighed, stretching out her sourly abused muscles, last night had been unusually rough.  
  
She hobbled out of the bedroom, one hand clutching her lower back. For once Kaoru was glad of her small apartment; it meant she had less to walk to make it to her kitchen. After riffling through her bare cabinets, she managed to locate a box of Kellogg's. Cereal was good, she couldn't mess up cereal.  
  
She was about to indulge in a hearty bowl of milk-drenched wheat, when a load knock reverberated from the door. Kaoru scowled; she was in no mood to entertain guests, and she certainly wasn't moving from her seat, at least that's what her back had informed her. But, the knocking persisted.  
  
"Miss Kamiya?" a faint voice queried.  
  
"What do you want?" Kaoru growled at the door.  
  
"Madame Tokio asks for your presence at 7:50." the voice said apprehensively.  
  
"Fine." She said, lightening the tone in her voice. It would be no good to arrive at her boss' office in a foul mood. She would need all of the patience and courage she could muster after last night's incident.  
  
7:51  
  
Kaoru was let into the spacious office of Hajime Tokio. Everything shined like polished glass; the wooden floor, the big mahogany desk, the walls lined with books, and especially the small spectacles that rested on Madame Tokio's dainty nose. She was a small woman, not so much in height as in width. Her long hair was tied back from her unusually smooth and pretty face. For a woman so fragile and elegant in appearance, she was extremely intimidating.  
  
Before Kaoru could take a step towards the desk that her boss sat behind, Tokio spoke.  
  
"You're late." She said in a voice that was both angry and annoyed.  
  
"I'm sor.." Kaoru started  
  
"I don't care if you're sorry. Next time show up on time." Tokio said sharply, setting down her reading glasses. "I am the leader of the Hajime yakuza, am I not?"  
  
"Hai.." Kaoru said hesitantly, knowing where this led.  
  
"And you are one of my bodyguards, correct?"  
  
"Hai.."  
  
"Then why is it that you delegated not to follow a direct order from your leader?" Tokio asked with growing annoyance and a bit of interest.  
  
Kaoru looked at her feet. This would be bad. Last night Tokio had directed a mission, one that involved stealth, possible violence, and of course some illegal activities. Kaoru had thoroughly botched it.  
  
"Well?" Tokio asked impatiently  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
Tokio let out an exasperated sigh. Annoyed? Yes. Angry? Not really. She couldn't be mad at Kaoru. The girl had been with her for four years, she was a reliable bodyguard and as close to a friend as Tokio's cold nature would allow. But something had happened last night and she was determined to discover why.  
  
"Last night," Tokio began, "You, twelve men, and myself clandestinely entered a warehouse. The plan was simple; the men dispersed to claim good vantage points for the robbery, and we were to approach the goods and claim what is ours."  
  
"However," Tokio continued, "that is not what happened."  
  
Kaoru remembered quite well. The warehouse had minimal guards, and they went down without trouble. The twelve Hajime men moved out to secure the facilities and Kaoru carefully guarded Tokio as they approached a diamond shipment from Sierra Lione. Then that bumbling police officer had shown up. The presence of another person didn't surprise Kaoru, she had heard his footsteps, but rather his uniform was the upset. She hadn't been expecting the police.  
  
"It was a police warehouse." Kaoru said, trying to keep the insolence from her voice.  
  
"I am well aware of that." Tokio sigh once again, massaging her temples. Kaoru had never encountered the police before on a mission. She had been kept in the dark about the details on last night's target. Did the girl honestly think that all of the other missions had been legal? Tokio asked her with a tinge of sarcasm.  
  
"Well.no.I knew it was unlawful. But, I've never directly tangled with the police before." Kaoru said meekly  
  
"Child, I know your history with the police.." At that Kaoru grimaced, so Tokio decided not to go into detail. "But you allowed that officer to escape, thus foiling the entire operation. As it is, we're lucky that we weren't arrested."  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
"I know!" Tokio growled. Kaoru flinched.  
  
"I know," she said more gently, "It's okay, just don't do it again. Clear?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Good. Now go get some rest."  
  
Kaoru hurried out of Madame Tokio's shining office and into the dingy hallway. She was sincerely relieved that the encounter had ended without eminent danger to her wellbeing. 


	2. Chapter 2 At First Glance

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter Two: At First Glance  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Not again.." Kaoru groaned.  
  
She struggled to get to a standing position, after lying on the couch for an hour it proved quite difficult. But, she managed, however ungracefully. She pulled open the door viciously; with a ready scowl she glared at the person on the other side. Oddly enough, the white and flesh colored mass on the other side didn't seem to notice. She looked up.  
  
"Sano.."  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan!" The brown-haired man smiled down at her. Then immediately moved around her with one long stride, entering her apartment.  
  
"Hey!" Kaoru yelled, slightly annoyed. "You could at least wait until I invite you in." she mumbled, seeing that he wasn't listening.  
  
Sagara Sanosuke, like Kaoru, is employed by Madame Tokio. However, unlike Kaoru, Sanosuke's employment exists only to fuel his gambling and drinking habits. Both of which frequently bring him to her door at odd times of the night.  
  
"I don't know what you want, Sano..", Kaoru began.  
  
"Hey there, that hurts." Sano's expression was the picture of innocence. "Why do I have to want.."  
  
"I'm not giving you any money." Kaoru interrupted, giving him a withering look.  
  
"Well, you see, Jou-chan.."  
  
"No." Kaoru said, trying very hard to remain firm.  
  
Sano stared at her with questioning brown eyes for a moment, before he shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the couch. Kaoru sighed and fished out a wad of money from a drawer in the kitchen. She tossed it at Sano with a look of hopelessness on her face.  
  
"Thanks. I'll pay you back." Sano said in a voice that was terribly sincere.  
  
Kaoru bit back a scathing remark and settled herself on an armchair adjacent to the gray couch. She cradled her forehead in the palm of her hand, willing the throbbing in her head to go away. Lack of sleep, sore muscles, and a very stressful encounter had given her a headache that stretched from temple to temple.  
  
"Here you go." A soft voice eased her out of her misery long enough to look up. In front of her face, a large hand held a small white tablet, and the other offered a glass of water. She really was out of it; she hadn't even heard him get up.  
  
"Thank you, Sano." Kaoru smiled slightly and took the proffered items.  
  
She popped the pill into her mouth and took a large gulp of water. She felt the cold liquid flow down her throat and ease her pain momentarily. Sano was looking at her expectantly from his perch on the nearby sofa.  
  
"Do you think you're up to it?" he asked, concern tingeing his words.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked as she stared at the clock hanging above the couch; 3:57.  
  
"You mean you don't know yet?" He seemed baffled.  
  
"Know what!?" Kaoru asked angrily, the headache had not improved her temper.  
  
"The meeting tonight. Tokio will be there, so I thought you'd be going too." Sano explained calmly, ignoring her previous outburst.  
  
"Oh. I guess they hadn't bothered to tell me yet."  
  
As if on cue, the phone began ringing. Sano guffawed and Kaoru picked up the receiver, giving him a good glare to get him to quiet down.  
  
"Meeting tonight, 7:30 at the Silver Teahouse. This time be punctual."  
  
Before she could so much as mutter a 'Hai', the line went dead.  
  
7:28  
  
"Punctual." she muttered.  
  
"What was that?" Tokio asked sharply.  
  
"Nothing." Kaoru answered quickly, holding her breath and glancing out of the car window.  
  
"Hmph" a skeptical Hajime Tokio murmured.  
  
The Silver Teahouse was a decent place in the wrong part of town. The establishment had long-standing ties with the Hajime yakuza, but that in no way meant it was a seedy or questionable joint. It couldn't be helped that only members of said gang really ever ate there; the locals just had too much common sense to.  
  
Kaoru stepped out of the small, black BWM first, scanning the crowd for any possible threats. She held her Jo in her right hand *(A/N: Jo is a staff about 4' long used for close range fighting)*, ready if the occasion for its use should present itself. She knew how to handle a katana well enough, but she preferred less lethal and blatantly intimidating weapons. The Jo was fine for a crowded restaurant, in the Hajime part of Kyoto.  
  
Madame Tokio stepped from the vehicle with the grace of a woman who knew only confidence and finesse. She, herself, eyed the crowd suspiciously before entering the restaurant, with Kaoru and a few more of her men in procession.  
  
The smoke-filled main room of the Teahouse was crowded with questionable characters. Men bearing ragged scars, and tattoos of skulls and angels, dressed in torn up clothing that concealed countless numbers of dangerous weapons. Many were drinking, even more were drunk. They all made way for Madame Tokio. Not a word was spoken, or a movement made, as she passed among them. They knew who ran this part of Kyoto.  
  
Kaoru escorted her boss to the back of Silver Teahouse, to a small, pleasant room adorned with only a table and several seats. Tokio took her seat across from a small, round man who looked awfully nervous.  
  
"Hoji-san, good evening." she said coolly.  
  
"H-Hai. Madame To-Tokio." He stuttered.  
  
Kaoru sighed. "Another long meeting with a smalltime crook running a smalltime organization." She thought to herself.  
  
She took a seat against the doorframe, with her Jo propped against the wall, but still resting in her hand. From her vantage point she would be able to watch the happenings both inside and outside of the meeting room. Kaoru observed the crowd outside, once again rowdy and loud.  
  
A blonde woman serving drinks, while fending off unwanted attention. A thoroughly wasted man with a half-finished sake jug in his hand sat at a corner table. More of the same scattered about the room. Then she saw a flash of red; red hair belonging to a small figure that loomed on the opposite side of the hall. The red moved a little closer, weaving in- between jostling bodies. She saw a face; calm, with golden eyes, and a strange scar pattern on his left cheek. Then the face was gone, lost as quickly as it emerged.  
  
Before Kaoru could give it much thought, a scuffle broke out between two drunken patrons. The fight brought them closer to the room then she liked, so she resolved to settle it. Moving towards the fray, she placed one small hand on the arm of one man, detaining him from landing a punch on the other. He foolishly turned around to see who was interfering and the other man took the opportunity to strike him square in the cheek.  
  
He fell backwards toward Kaoru, who quickly jumped out of the way. The man lay unconscious on the floor.  
  
"Hey sweetheart, thanks for the help." The drunken victor leered, closing in on her.  
  
"Don't call me sweetheart, you drunken slob." Kaoru said disgustedly.  
  
"Watch your mouth, you stupid.." he lashed out trying to smack her, but he was too slow with alcohol.  
  
Kaoru easily caught his arm, swung it around to his back and pushed him to the floor. He smelled like he hadn't bathed for days, it was putrid, and Kaoru felt like vomiting. She also felt her headache come back with a fearful vengeance, drilling through her temples.  
  
The room spun around her, then it instantly grew dark. 


	3. Chapter 3 Questing Eyes

Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 3: Questing Eyes  
  
Himura Kenshin watched as the girl interrupted the drunken brawl. He recognized her somehow; only he couldn't remember why or how her face looked so familiar.  
  
'Maybe she's the one I'm looking for.' Kenshin thought, a smirk briefly flitted across his features.  
  
The girl had rushed in without a thought, throwing herself in the middle of a drunken scuffle.  
  
'Foolish..' He mused.  
  
Now, she had pinned the disorderly slob's arm behind his back, effectively bringing him to his knees.  
  
'Not bad..' Kenshin had to admit to himself that her last move had been fluid and controlled, like that of a well-trained fighter. 'Yes, definitely the person I need to speak with..'  
  
He approached her with the intent of starting a conversation that might confirm her to be one of the bodyguard of Hajime Tokio, however that is not quite what the girl had in mind. From a foot behind her, Kenshin noticed that a shudder ran down her back, she seemed to hunch over slightly. The girl clutched at her incredibly pale forehead with her free hand and began sinking to her knees. Kenshin knew what she was about to do and reacted with cat-like reflexes.  
  
He caught the fainting body inches before it hit the floor.  
  
'Just my luck.' Kenshin thought as he stared at her unconscious face. He watched as her eyelids fluttered slightly, then went completely still. 'Great..'  
  
Kenshin carried the lifeless girl out of the throng of people that swarmed about the busy restaurant. He set her against a wall in a shaded corner, positioning her so that her so that her back was resting against its surface. After the application of a glass of cold water to her face, she came about rather quickly. Kenshin smirked as she slowly opened her eyes.  
  
- - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
Kaoru felt something cold and fluid run across her cheeks, she flinched as it hit her closed eyelids. However she only saw darkness, and decided that she would allow her consciousness to join it.  
  
"Open your eyes." A firm male voice commanded.  
  
Kaoru had no intention of doing any such thing, but the voice left no room for argument. So, meekly, she opened her eyes. The blurry colors about her swarmed in unruly patterns, shifting dizzyingly in front of her face. Kaoru felt the overwhelming need to vomit. She stifled it, taking deep breaths; she allowed the images to take form and order.  
  
"Better?" the voice asked, but without any hint of emotion or concern. It was less like a question and more like an order.  
  
Kaoru could only nod, at the moment she found that her throat refused to obey the messages her brain sent. She examined, with great curiosity, the figure that knelt before her; red hair, a cross-shaped scar, and intimidating amber eyes. Those eyes. Kaoru involuntarily shuddered as she looked into them. They seemed to capture her gaze, refusing to allow her to look away until they had completed their own examination.  
  
"Your name." The voice commanded.  
  
"K-Kaoru .. Kamiya Kaoru." She stuttered, conscious of the danger those eyes possessed.  
  
That seemed to satisfy the questing eyes, for they relinquished their hold on hers. She stared at her hands, folding them across her lap.  
  
"What happened?" she asked timidly, deliberately avoiding direct eye contact.  
  
"You fainted." The monotone voice stated matter-of-factly. That voice left no room for interpretation.  
  
Kaoru recollected the drunken men, the punches, and the terrible stench; her head spun slightly as she recalled the reeking smell that had filled her nostrils. Then, in a flash, she remembered her charge, Madame Tokio. Momentary panic flooded her body as she thought of what could have happened in her absence. Kaoru reflexively jumped up, but it was too soon and she began to slide down the wall.  
  
A solid hand grabbed her arm, steadying her for a moment. Kaoru looked gratefully into the eyes of her rescuer. Those cold amber eyes stared back at her, and she blinked.  
  
"Thank .. Thank you." Kaoru managed to say.  
  
Nothing. The hand still held her arm tightly, but not to the point of pain.  
  
"I have to go." Kaoru said as she nervously scanned the room, looking for a sign, anything.  
  
She could see that the back room was dark and void of any signs of activity, but she would have to see for herself. She sincerely hoped that Tokio was fine and had made it back to headquarters safely without her. Kaoru started to move, but the hand held her back. She scowled at the offending arm before looking into his face.  
  
"Let go." She said, no anger or fear in her voice, possibly a little defiance.  
  
The red-haired man looked slightly surprised, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His amber eyes burrowed into hers, but she refused to look away. His grip remained solidly about her upper arm.  
  
"Your employer left a few minutes ago." He said, finally loosening his hold. "Besides you should rest for a little longer." Another command.  
  
"Oh. I see.." Kaoru said slowly as her brows furrowed. If she hadn't been to busy contemplating whether or not she should be angry at being left behind or embarrassed for the incident she might have wondered how he knew of her employment.  
  
However, Kaoru still had to pick up the jo she left in the back room, and seeing that she still had difficulty standing, the red-haired man silently insisted upon helping her. With an arm slung underneath her arms for support, she regained her footing.  
  
The small room was dim and oddly still. She flipped the light switch next to the door, illuminating the pale colored walls. In the center, resting across the table, lay her weapon. Next to it was a small piece of paper covered in small black lettering.  
  
'Kaoru,  
  
Business here concluded. See me tomorrow. 4:30 PM sharp.  
  
H.T.'  
  
Kaoru examined the small note, turning it over in her hand. 'H.T. must mean Hajime Tokio.' She concluded. Tomorrow. 4:30 sharp must mean a lecture. She groaned inwardly. Then turned to walk out the door, jo in hand. The smoke swirled around the main room, and the smell of sake and beer filled her senses. She felt a little dizzy, but refused to give into the sensation. She would not faint again.  
  
A light hand touched her shoulder, guiding her past the blinding fluorescent lights, and the drunken men sprawled on floor and table. A fresh breeze struck her face, snapping her out of her conscious limbo. She stood on the sidewalk as cars raced by in the streets. Lighted signs and lighted windows illuminated the block. People bustled past her, making their way through the unsleeping city.  
  
"I will help you to your apartment."  
  
Everything in her subconscious told her to refuse, but rationally she knew it was a good idea. If she passed out on the street, she couldn't be sure of where she'd end up.  
  
"Uh..hai.." Kaoru managed. She looked up into his eyes, trying to seem grateful. It was hard when those eyes were so calculatingly cold.  
  
"My apartment, it's only a few blocks away. This way." She said, pointing down sidewalk to the left.  
  
Kenshin offered her his arm, and she leaned on it hesitantly. Cautious, but glad to take some weight off of her tired knees and aching back.  
  
----------------------  
  
He walked besides her, shortening his strides so that they synchronized with her smaller paces. Kenshin looked down at her, she seemed tired and in pain. He could tell that she was trying to shift the weight off of her lower back, so he adjusted his grip, allowing her to find a more comfortable posture. He smiled slightly as she sighed, almost inaudibly, with relief.  
  
He allowed her to direct their movement through the streets and back allies of Kyoto. After twenty minutes of steady walking, the girl named Kaoru had led them to a small, but respectable, apartment building. Kenshin recognized it as one that was completely run by the Hajime yakuza; not trashy, but not exactly extravagant. She headed towards a dimly lit entrance, and into the small foyer. Kenshin followed passively. A short, round man smoking a half-completed cigarette sat partially concealed behind a wooden counter. He glanced up; noting the two entering figures, then went back to his cigarette. Kaoru turned to him and Kenshin caught a glimpse of her startlingly blue eyes before she looked away again.  
  
"Arigato. I'll go now." She said quietly.  
  
"I will help you to your door." Kenshin insisted. He still needed to question her, but it would have to be later, she was too tired now. Then he immediately wondered when he had started to care about another's welfare. But shrugged that off too.  
  
Her apartment was on the third floor, and the only way up was the staircase. So, Kenshin found himself helping an exhausted young woman climb twining stairs at eleven o'clock at night. He stood on the stair above her, when she met his eyes for the nth time that night. He knew that something troubled her mind, she'd been flitting her eyes about like that for almost half an hour.  
  
"What." Kenshin demanded coolly. He had frozen in his movements to help her.  
  
She looked absolutely befuddled, Kenshin mused that it suited her endearing features. He immediately purged that thought from his mind; it was unsuited to one such as him.  
  
"The question you want to ask me." He clarified. Her complexion cleared, and a blush replaced the confusion. Kenshin didn't allow himself to contemplate this new look.  
  
"I..uh..you..you know Goro?" Kaoru saw his deadpan face and decided to be more specific. "The man out front. It's just that he didn't ask about you, like he would normally." Kaoru floundered. "Not that I bring a lot of men here." She corrected quickly, her blush increasing.  
  
Kenshin couldn't help but grin a little at her perplexity and ridiculous embarrassment. She looked up at him after such a long pause.  
  
"Are you part of the gang?" she questioned. "Is that why he recognized you?'  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Oh.." Kaoru said as the worry vanished from her face. "I see."  
  
After hearing of his occupation and relation, she looked more relieved than she had all night. 'Naive.." Kenshin thought to himself.  
  
They reached her apartment door, '304' was embossed in golden lettering across its front. She unlocked the door and turned around slowly. Kenshin made no move.  
  
"Good night and Thank you.." Kaoru started "Your name, I don't remember what you said it was."  
  
"I didn't." Kenshin stated. Then seeing that it wouldn't be enough, he added "It's Himura Kenshin."  
  
Kaoru smiled as she said "Well, Mr. Himura. Good Night."  
  
It was the first time he had seen her smile, and to be honest he was slightly amazed. Her indigo eyes lit up like fireflies in front of him as she wished him farewell. Then she closed the door. He heard the lock click into place, startling him out of his reverie. He was annoyed with himself for accomplishing nothing tonight; he'd have to work even harder tomorrow.  
  
Kenshin left the apartment building the same way he had come in. However, this time beaming blue eyes danced in the back of his thoughts. He disappeared into the dark city without sound. 


	4. Chapter 4 Kaoru's Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 4: Kaoru's Past  
  
Kaoru stumbled through the hall, past the open kitchen, and into the living room. She shrugged off her coat, and kicked out of her shoes, sending them flying across the room. She opened the bedroom door and silently slipped into the darkened room. Kaoru decided to postpone her much-needed shower until the next morning. It wouldn't be a good idea to take one when she was still on the verge of fainting. So instead, she more-or-less collapsed onto the bed, burying her aching head into downy pillows.  
  
-----------------------  
  
When one says, 'He disappeared into the dark city without a sound.' One almost means it literally. Kenshin's steps were always impossibly silent. His movements always kept him in the shadows, out of plain view from passing pedestrians and motorists alike. When he did venture out into the busier byways, he kept his profile unnoticeable and his actions very regular. However, Kenshin never disappeared, he only blended in with amazing skill. It was one of his chief talents, along with being extremely perceptive and a master of the katana; Kenshin could assimilate to almost any situation.  
  
Kenshin had a destination in mind as he completed his twelfth block and fifth corner. However, it was not the apartment building that he now stood in front of. It was only a stop along way. This building was small, almost as small as Kaoru's, but not quite as nice. There was no man behind a desk as he entered; Kenshin actually preferred it that way. No one to mark his comings and goings.  
  
He strode up the staircase to the sixth floor, and unlocked the door to his domicile. It was bare to say the least. The only proof that someone lived here was the half-finished carton of orange juice in the refrigerator and the soap in the bathroom. Some furniture was scattered about the area, a sofa and armchair here, and a bed and dresser there. But they were all furnishings that came with the apartment.  
  
Kenshin didn't so much as remove his coat; instead he forcefully pulled open the doors to the hall closet. Two swords lay against the back wall. Kenshin quickly grabbed one and slide it into his belt. He pulled the katana from its sheath and examined the razor-sharp blade before sliding it back in again. Satisfied with his inspection, Kenshin slipped out the door, locking it behind him.  
  
Behind the apartment building there was a small, enclosed parking lot. It was rarely used because most of the residents didn't own vehicles. But Kenshin did; he owned a sleek-looking, black motorcycle, more specifically a 2002 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R. People might inquire how a gang member in his position in the hierarchy could afford a bike like that, but then again no one really dared to ask. The sporty little bike was fast, ridiculously fast actually, and it handled like it rode on rails, that is, if you knew how to handle it.  
  
Kenshin started it up and speed out of the parking lot onto the quiet little street out front.  
  
------------------------  
  
Half an hour later, Kenshin pulled up outside a little building on the outskirts of the city. It was well cared for, but nothing spectacular. The sign on top of its roof, proclaimed 'Aoi-ya'. To most it might look like a restaurant, but Kenshin and many like him knew its real purpose. The Aoi-ya had been in existence for at least a decade, the people running it however had been practicing their art for much longer. They were in the information business. Mostly spies with amazing skill, they would sell their services and 'goods' to anyone who could pay. That is how they survived in the treacherous underground of Kyoto. By taking no side or preferring one gang over another, they would provide invaluable information to anyone who could afford their steep prices.  
  
Kenshin approached the old-fashioned doors and knocked almost inaudibly. Moments later a tall woman with long black hair answered.  
  
She squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. "Ah..Mr. Himura, please come in." she said as she ushered him inside the building.  
  
"Aoshi is in the room, third door to the left, down the hall." She showed him to his destination and then promptly left.  
  
Kenshin scanned the dimly lit room. The only thing in it was a man sitting cross-legged, facing the door. His eyes were closed in deep meditation, his face as calm as a reflecting pool. Despite the appearance of rest and inactivity, Kenshin knew he was aware of everything that happened around him.  
  
"Don't you ever sleep, Aoshi?" Kenshin asked dryly.  
  
"I would ask you the same thing, but I already know that you do not." Aoshi said unperturbedly, eyes suddenly opening.  
  
Kenshin glared at the stone-like man.  
  
"What is it that you want?" Aoshi asked.  
  
"Information." Kenshin said icily, "A girl named Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
"I see. Have a seat, this may take a while to explain."  
  
Kenshin stared at him, about as surprised as he ever got. The Aoi-ya already had information on her. Why would they, she's not exactly of high interest to anyone. That must mean that he wasn't the first to inquire about the Kamiya girl.  
  
"Who was it that already asked about her?" Kenshin demanded angrily.  
  
"You know that I won't reveal information about my clientele." Aoshi said unfazed. "That's why you come here."  
  
Kenshin scowled, it was true and there was no use in pressing the issue farther. Aoshi took his silence for consent and continued.  
  
"Our information begins when she was six years old. A policeman named Kamiya Kazuki found her alone on the streets in the Hiko district of Kyoto. He had been working in that area for fifteen years, helping chip away at the Hiko yakuza. He and his wife had no children and so Kamiya took her in. He taught her Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, a sword technique that protects without killing."  
  
Kenshin stifled a snicker, knowing that Aoshi hated to be interrupted. 'The purpose of the sword is killing, it's naïve to believe otherwise.' He thought to himself. Yet it fit the Kamiya girl's persona very well.  
  
"When Kamiya Kaoru was sixteen, her adopted father was killed in an attempted drug-bust in which the Hiko yakuza was involved. The girl didn't take his death well; emotionally she broke down. I have papers on her psychiatric report after Kamiya-san's death." Aoshi stood up and walked out of the room, a minute later he returned with something in his right hand. He tossed a manila folder at Kenshin, who caught it easily, tucking it beneath his jacket.  
  
"Then, a month later, she disappeared. Kamiya-san's wife reported it to the authorities, but nothing was really done about it. It's not surprising; she was just another run-away returning to the streets. The next time anything is heard about her, she is working for the Hajime yakuza, the rivals of the Hiko yakuza. But, then I don't need to tell you that."  
  
Kenshin knew all about the long-standing war between the two gangs; he had witnessed the bloodshed himself.  
  
"She has been one of the bodyguards of its leader, Hajime Tokio, for four years." Aoshi concluded.  
  
Kenshin let his mind run over the new information. He concluded that she would work just fine.  
  
"How much?" Kenshin asked, reaching into his pocket to pull out a wad of bills.  
  
"Nothing." Aoshi stated, leaving no room for discussion.  
  
Kenshin wondered about his sudden generosity. It was unlike the shrewd leader of the Aoi-ya's forces.  
  
"Don't think about it too much. I already had the information after all." Aoshi said, completely unprompted.  
  
Kenshin nodded at Aoshi, as close to a Thank you as could ever pass between the two. The short ride back to his apartment, gave Kenshin even more time to plan out his actions.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Takani Megumi slipped the keys out of her pants pocket and unlocked the door to apartment 304. It was 11:36 in the afternoon and there wasn't a sign of life in the cluttered little space. Megumi sighed; she knew that she was in here, somewhere. Carefully avoiding the pile of crumpled clothing and nearly stumbling over a small mountain of old newspapers, Megumi finally made it to the bedroom in the back. She didn't knock, just opened the door and glanced inside.  
  
Sprawled out in an extremely ungraceful and most likely uncomfortable position on the queen-sized bed was the girl. Megumi sighed once more, and then silently tiptoed to her side. She didn't exactly scream, Megumi was above such repugnant behavior. However, she hissed, loudly enough, into the sleeping girl's ear.  
  
"Wake-up, tanuki."  
  
It was enough. Kaoru's eyes immediately flashed open, she was standing in a second, staring angrily at the taller woman.  
  
"Megumi! What do you want!?" Kaoru yelled, glaring at the smug look on the other woman's face.  
  
"Is this the kind of welcome I get when I come to check on the welfare of our little martial artist?" Megumi said feigning hurt and indignation.  
  
"What do you mean 'our'?" Kaoru said, easing up.  
  
Megumi shrugged elegantly. "That rooster-head said that you were sick, but when I came to check on you last night, you weren't here."  
  
Kaoru sat down on the edge of her bed; her headache had started to come back.  
  
"Where were you?" A malicious gleam sparked in Megumi's eyes. "You were with a guy, weren't you?"  
  
"NO!" Kaoru yelled at her implied suggestion. Then she remembered. "Well .. actually ,, sort-of .. I was.."  
  
"Ohoho.." Megumi smiled deliciously.  
  
"It's not what you think." Kaoru glared. "He just helped me home."  
  
Megumi refused to relent. "He 'just helped you home'. Huh?" Megumi said skeptically.  
  
"Hai!"  
  
"Your apartment must have scared him away." Megumi laughed.  
  
Kaoru started to protest, but a thermometer was shoved into her mouth.  
  
"Don't open your mouth until it beeps." Dr. Takani Megumi ordered, as she left the room.  
  
Kaoru sat on the bed swinging her legs back and forth; she felt very much like a child sitting on the examining table in the doctor's office. Her mind raced back to the night before as a golden-eyed man helped her through the dangerous streets of Kyoto. She smiled slightly; in her memory those eyes possessed less bitter cold. She was woken from her contemplation by a high-pitched beeping.  
  
Kaoru wandered out of her room. The woman was clearing newspapers from the floor.  
  
"Mehguhmee? Thuh 'eeping won' shop." Kaoru mumbled through the thermometer.  
  
Megumi rolled her eyes. "Take it out, baka.."  
  
Kaoru eyebrow twitched, but she complied. She handed it to Megumi, who quickly examined it.  
  
"98 degrees." She concluded "No fever."  
  
Before Kaoru could respond, Megumi had pulled out a tiny flashlight and was telling her to open her mouth and say 'ahhhh'.  
  
After a thorough examination, Megumi handed her two red pills.  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"Tylenol." She responded dryly. "For your headache. Otherwise, you're fine."  
  
Kaoru bit back the remark that she could have told her that. Megumi had been a doctor in the Hajime yakuza longer than Kaoru knew; she guessed about ten years. She took care of everyone there, but Kaoru in particular. She remembered when she had first joined at the young age of sixteen. Megumi had been the only other woman besides Madame Tokio. The doctor had taken special care to help and protect her. So had Sano, she recalled.  
  
So instead she managed a meek "Arigato."  
  
Megumi shrugged it off, as was in her fashion, and went back to cleaning up her apartment.  
  
"You don't have to do that." Kaoru said  
  
"Yes, I do. If you trip and hurt yourself, I'll have to take care of you." Megumi said scathingly.  
  
Kaoru was about to respond once again, but the doctor cut her off.  
  
"Go take a shower. You need one."  
  
Kaoru sighed and obediently trudged to the bathroom. She tossed her clothing onto the floor and stepped into the hot water pouring from the showerhead.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
These are my first comments; I guess they're a bit overdue.  
  
Mainly I'm just wondering if anybody is actually reading this. If I knew people were I'd put more time and effort into getting these chapters done sooner. I'll still do them even if no one is because I enjoy writing them, but a few more comments would be nice.  
  
Hope you like it so far, - stony brook 


	5. Chapter 5 The Resolution

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 5: The Resolution  
  
The water lapped around Kaoru's feet as the shower sent torrents cascading over her achy body. She sighed. Kaoru loved the way steaming hot showers always seemed to wash away all of her anxiety and fatigue, enveloping her in a temporary universe, separate from the world outside of the plastic curtain. That is why she was severely annoyed when someone knocked on the bathroom door, interrupting her reprieve.  
  
"Kaoru? You alive in there?" a semi-concerned Megumi asked. "It's been almost forty-five minutes."  
  
"Hai." Kaoru turned the water off and wrapped a towel around her torso and bundled a small one in her dark hair.  
  
She shuffled out into the hall and towards her bedroom. After rummaging through her dresser, she pulled on a pair of tight-fitting jeans, and a gray T-shirt. She began searching her room frantically for several minutes, before yanking a navy-blue ribbon out from under a pile of clothing. She tied her ebony hair up into a high ponytail. Kaoru flung upon the door, barely missing one very startled Megumi, and flopped down on to the couch.  
  
Megumi examined the younger girl's outfit and hairstyle, and thought to herself, rather unkindly, that Kaoru looked like a pubescent teenager.  
  
"You have two hours before your meeting with Madame Tokio. We could go get some lunch." Megumi offered, seemingly indifferent.  
  
Kaoru didn't bother to ask her how she knew about her conference; Megumi always knew such things.  
  
"Sure!" Kaoru smiled widely, trying to break through Megumi's tough exterior.  
  
It worked. With one look at that silly grin, Megumi couldn't help but allow a meek smile to briefly flirt with her lips. Kaoru was up in a nanosecond, grabbing the doctor's arm and hauling her towards the door.  
  
"I'll drive." Kaoru volunteered.  
  
"But you don't even have a car.." Megumi eyed the girl suspiciously.  
  
"Yes, but you do."  
  
"No way. You are not driving my car ever again. Never." Megumi shook her head violently. She recalled Kaoru as a seventeen year old in her new Civic. Till this day she wasn't quite sure how her side-view mirror had ended up embedded in her rear bumper. Then again the human mind, under tremendous emotional stress, has the amazing capability of blocking out painful memories..  
  
Kaoru grabbed the doorknob and started to pull it open, "But, Meg-" Kaoru began. However a terribly familiar scene on the other side of the door interrupted her petitioning.  
  
"Oi, Jou-chan!"  
  
"Sano." Kaoru said, it was the first thing that came to her mind.  
  
"Hey, where're you and kitsune off to?"  
  
Megumi scowled. A cutting remark was already formulating on her tongue, but Kaoru was quicker.  
  
"Lunch." The girl said quite simply.  
  
The look in Sano's eye was enough.  
  
Megumi sighed, "Come on, rooster-boy."  
  
------------------------  
  
After the meeting with Aoshi, Kenshin had returned to his sparsely furnished apartment around 1:30. He considered it an early night. So he caught a few hours worth of sleep, lying motionless on the coarse sheets that adorned an equally uncomfortable bed. He woke to a room lit only with the feeble gray light of an anemic dawn. After a quick shower and a glass of orange juice, Kenshin was back to work. In truth, he never really left.  
  
He sat at the small kitchen table; placing the contents of the manila folder in front of himself, he arranged the papers about its surface. Kamiya Kaoru's psychiatric report.  
  
It wasn't terribly long, but Kenshin studied the report for several hours. He absorbed every word; knowing is essential to the business he is in. Certain phrases attracted his keen perception:  
  
'Despite her distasteful circumstances up until her adoption, Kamiya was well adjusted and agreeable.'  
  
'She demonstrated great skill in Martial Arts..'  
  
'Her adopted family became the center of her existence.'  
  
'..after Kamiya-san's death, she went into a state of denial..'  
  
'..does not mourn, cry, or show any signs of an emotional response..'  
  
'..refused food, medication, sleep..'  
  
'..recommend placing Kamiya in a mental institution until further progress..'  
  
Kenshin ran his hand through his red locks before recollecting the papers. He was bewildered to think that the beaming, blue-eyed girl he had met barely a day ago could harbor such a past. He wondered whether it no longer affected her, or had she found her resolution already. Then, Kenshin thought that he already knew.  
  
-------------------  
  
Kaoru glanced at her plate of curry rice with eager eyes. She loved spicy foods, especially when she didn't have to cook them. She shifted her gaze to include the entire table. Sano sat across from her, and was eating with great gusto, perhaps too much, for Megumi was staring at him with a look of absolute disgust. Kaoru shrugged and concentrated on her own meal.  
  
"Can't you eat with a little more dignity, Tori-atama?"  
  
"What is that, kitsune!?"  
  
"Don't call me that!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Kaoru remained intent upon her curry rice. She was accustomed to the ritual and so left the two to their bickering. That was, until a cup-of- tea-turned-projectile landed in front of her, dosing her front with hot liquid. The table went silent.  
  
Kaoru looked up slowly, meeting the gaze of one very uncomfortable Sano.  
  
"Uh, Jou-chan.."  
  
"SANO!"  
  
Five minutes later, Kaoru, soggy, stormed out of the restaurant, followed by a bruised and beaten Sano. Megumi trailed behind them with a wicked gleam in her eyes, and one hand raised to her mouth to stifle a snicker.  
  
-------------  
  
Kaoru tried the best she could to remove the tea from her hair, but the smell refused to leave. She gave up and sat on the edge of the bathtub, burying her hands in her sticky T-shirt.  
  
3:57  
  
Kaoru rushed madly about the apartment, pulling on black pants and a jacket. She fumbled with her shoes. 'I can't be late this time!' Kaoru thought, both desperate and determined.  
  
4:11  
  
Kaoru slammed the door of her apartment and rushed down the steps, with her jo in hand. She hurried on to the street below and set a quick pace towards headquarters.  
  
4:26  
  
Kaoru arrived at Madame Tokio's office, flustered but on time.  
  
Tokio sat looking over papers scattered on her desk, she peered over her glasses at Kaoru's entrance.  
  
"Sit." She commanded before turning her attention back to her previous endeavor.  
  
Kaoru approached the mahogany desk and chose a plushy, red seat in front of it. She sank into the cushioning, relishing the respite her feet now partook.  
  
"Kaoru." Tokio demanded her attention sharply.  
  
Kaoru's head quickly snapped up and she met Tokio's steel gaze.  
  
"In two days time we will be meeting to discuss the convention of all the Hajime yakuza's affiliates and subordinates from other Japanese cities. I would like you to be there, but your presence as a bodyguard will not be needed. The initial meeting will be held at headquarters with yakuza staff that are part of the Kyoto branch. Then we will decide when and where in Kyoto to hold the inter-city gathering of Hajime forces."  
  
Kaoru sat silently for a moment processing the information. Tokio patiently waited for her response.  
  
"If my presence as a bodyguard is not needed, then why do you want me to attend?"  
  
Tokio sighed. "Because you will have to accompany me to the meeting of all of the yakuza's forces across Japan. So you should be aware of the place and time we chose at the preliminary meeting in two days."  
  
Kaoru nodded, then started to speak again.  
  
However, Tokio was quicker. "The inter-city yakuza meeting will not be held at Kyoto Hajime headquarters because that is predictable and therefore dangerous. If the police or another yakuza knew the details of this meeting, they would exploit this knowledge to end our little yakuza. Clear?"  
  
Kaoru nodded once more.  
  
"Good." Tokio continued, "Now there is one more thing."  
  
Kaoru felt her stomach shrink.  
  
"Last night, you disappeared and so did not carry out your duty as a bodyguard. That was the second time." Tokio's eyes became as cold and deadly as swords, and her voice hissed with anger. "The first, you will remember, had to do with a certain police officer."  
  
Kaoru remembered all too well.  
  
"This behavior is unacceptable. You are the member of an illegal organization, whether or not you care to admit it to yourself. We work against the police. You freely chose to join this yakuza and so freely chose to be an outlaw. Whatever relation you had with your adopted father, and therefore the authorities, was ended when you joined this organization."  
  
At the mention of her father, Kaoru felt tears prick at the back of her eyes. Images of him in his uniform coming home from work filled her mind. She remembered the hours he spent in the backyard, teaching her how to handle a bokken. Memories that she tried very hard to keep closed away started to take control of her thoughts. She silently willed herself not to cry.  
  
"Can I now consider this matter closed?" Tokio asked.  
  
Kaoru nodded and managed a weak "Hai." She clenched her hands in to fists in a desperate attempt to deter the impending tears.  
  
"Good. Now go." She said more softly before turning back to her papers.  
  
-------------------------------  
  
Kaoru hastened from the office and out of the building. She needed to find someplace quiet where she could be alone to regain control of her emotions. She stumbled on the sidewalk as tearless sobs wracked her body. Leaning back against the wall of a storefront, she tried to control her shaking. When she finally was able to walk again, she headed towards the park.  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Kenshin watched as Kaoru stumbled out of the Hajime yakuza's headquarters. He followed, from a distance, her erratic steps. He knew something was wrong as he observed her unsteady movements and labored breathing. She definitely didn't know that she was being trailed. Eventually she made her way to the park, where she sat hunched over on a bench, her hands fisted into the seat beside her.  
  
---------------------------------  
  
"Kamiya-dono?" a soft voice called from behind her.  
  
Kaoru recognized that voice, somehow. She turned around. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but her cheeks were still completely dry. She stared astonished at his red hair and blazing amber eyes.  
  
"Himura-san?" she asked hesitantly. She couldn't believe that he would be here of all places and at this time.  
  
"Hai." He said firmly. His eyes were as fierce as she remembered them, yet maybe not quite as cold.  
  
"It's alright to cry if you want to." He stated.  
  
Kaoru was shocked then she blushed. 'It's obvious that I'm on the verge of tears, of course he would see it.' she thought to herself.  
  
She looked at her lap and shook her head, refusing to give in.  
  
"Whatever it is, whatever has hurt you, it will not make it better to keep it locked inside. Such painful things need to be expressed and accounted for, so that the wounds may heal with time."  
  
"Time does not heal all wounds." Kaoru responded.  
  
"No, you are right. Time cannot heal everything, nevertheless time can mend some of the damage, even though you will always bear the scars."  
  
Kaoru sobbed slightly. "Not these wounds, they can never mend."  
  
"They will, if you will let them."  
  
Kaoru shook her head once again.  
  
"You have not tried." Kenshin stated.  
  
Kaoru glanced up quickly, wondering at his accuracy. She met his piercing eyes and, as much as she wanted to, she could not look away. His gaze forced her to confront him, what he had said, and what she knew was true. Her eyes wavered in his stare, her mind raced for an escape, another excuse to hide behind, but she found none. Instead she remembered her adopted father, dressed in his police uniform, smiling down at her. He looked like the infallible hero that she had thought him to be .. before he died.  
  
A single delicate tear ran down her cheek, slid off of her chin and fell into her lap. More followed it soon after, creating dark blotches on the fabric of her pants. Kaoru collapsed onto her knees in front of the bench, bringing her hands to her face. For the first time she mourned his death.  
  
Kenshin could see that she was lost; he could also see that this was his opportunity. So he waited for the worst of her sobs to die down, before he offered her his hand and helped her to regain her seat on the bench once again.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Sorry, this is late in coming. I hope it's decent. I know that this chapter was a bit emotional, but it's an important part of the character development, so if you don't like waffy-ish/mushy stuff then I'm sorry, but bear with me. If you do, then I hope it was up to your standards. I know it's not exactly romantic .. soon enough.  
  
The next chapter should be coming up soon!  
  
-stony brook 


	6. Chapter 6 Police

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 6: Police  
  
Dusk descended quickly on the modest park, casting elongated shadows across the grassy lawns. Kenshin sat awkwardly next to the weeping girl, separated by two feet of bench. He watched her stare emptily into the setting sky from the corner of his eye. In truth, it had been a simple matter to force her to acknowledge the emotions that she had locked away. Kenshin could read people with startling acuteness, and with this ability, he could break through any façade with ease. However, once the walls came down Kenshin found that he was bereft of the skills necessary to deal with this new situation. He had no idea how to comfort her, but, as he reminded himself, that was not his intent.  
  
Anyways, he knew that he would hurt her one more time; to severe whatever remaining ties she still had to the yakuza.  
  
"Will you tell me what upset you?" Kenshin asked, trying to keep the harshness out of his voice.  
  
A feeble hiccup escaped her throat.  
  
Kenshin stifled an exasperated sigh; it would clearly show his annoyance. He needed to remain calm, soothing, and patient, but she was going to make this difficult.  
  
A moment of silence.  
  
"Kamiya-dono?"  
  
-------------------------  
  
Kaoru continued to stare into the sky, watching the light die out on the horizon. She intentionally avoided eye contact with the man sitting next to her. She knew from experience that if she met his entrancing gaze she would not be able to deny him an answer.  
  
"Look at me." The voice at her side demanded, not quite as gently as before.  
  
As much as she wanted to, Kaoru could not refuse his order. Slowly, she turned her head and succumbed to those amber eyes.  
  
"What was it?" he spoke, not really a question, but not a command either.  
  
Kaoru looked helplessly into his eyes. She didn't want to tell him about her past. More truthfully, she didn't want to give voice to thoughts in her head. She was afraid to share her pain and confusion, especially after she had guarded them both for so long. Yet, a minute division of herself craved to tell him .. anyone .. everyone, to relinquish the governing of her fate to another, wiser, being. The added pressure of Kenshin's demanding presence finally won over her previous doubts.  
  
So she began..  
  
--------------------  
  
Kenshin listened with the patience and sagacity of the skilled martial artist that he was. Although he had heard the story before from the mouth of a colder, more austere, man, he still listened carefully to words she spoke and watched the emotional landslide play out on her delicate features. He offered no sympathetic words when the girl finished her narrative, they would be hollow coming from a relative stranger. So he let her sit in silence for a time as she recollected her thoughts and regained a trace of composure.  
  
"Why is it now that these sentiments emerge?" he asked mildly.  
  
She shook her head in consternation. She would need a little more leading.  
  
"Did something happen?"  
  
Kaoru examined her lap, she remembered well what had occurred.  
  
"I was trouble to the Madame Tokio and.." her voice faded off as she wrung her hands.  
  
Finally we are getting somewhere, Kenshin thought to himself.  
  
"The yakuza and your adopted father, they would not have been allies even back then." Kenshin noticed that she flinched at the word adopted and made a mental note to leave that part out in the future.  
  
"Hai." She said rather forlornly.  
  
"Is that what this is about?" Kenshin prodded, "Your involvement with a yakuza."  
  
"No!" Kaoru said very suddenly.  
  
Kenshin smirked. "But, surely he would disapprove of your activities."  
  
"It's not like that.." she said crossly, "I'm doing this for him, because he would have wanted me to."  
  
Kenshin noticed that Kaoru sniffed and wiped her hands at her watering eyes. He was getting to her.  
  
"No, he would not.." Kenshin started to say.  
  
"How would you know!" Kaoru angrily yelled, glaring into his eyes.  
  
"Because," Kenshin continued calmly, ignoring her outburst, "he was a policeman. He died doing his duty. It is not your place to seek revenge, especially by doing something as absurd as joining another yakuza, whether or not they are the adversaries of the gang that killed him."  
  
Kaoru's face registered a mixture of shock and resentment. Kenshin could only imagine what thoughts crossed her mind, to hear that what she had based her life off of for the past four years has been completely erroneous. She seemed lost once again.  
  
"Then I can't go back." she said in a meek voice that was almost unbearably heart wrenching.  
  
"No." he stated lightly. "Not without further dishonoring your father's work."  
  
Kenshin observed her pained face and his imperturbable composure failed somewhat. Pity tinged his eyes for a moment, but such emotions could not survive long in someone such as himself.  
  
Then she surprised him.  
  
"Himura-san?" she began, "Who are you?"  
  
Kenshin balked at her curiously pleading blue eyes for a long moment.  
  
"I work for the Haj-" he started.  
  
"No." she cut him off, "You don't"  
  
Kenshin wasn't sure how to respond. Did she know about him, and, if so, for how long. His mind raced frantically over her words. What did she mean? Could he tell her?  
  
She continued despite his silence, "What you said, no one from the yakuza would ever say that. Are you.." she glanced at her feet quickly, and looked up with an expression that was almost hopeful. "..do you .. work for the police?"  
  
Kenshin sighed in relief. "Hai."  
  
------------------------  
  
Kaoru was comforted to learn that Kenshin was a police officer. Strangely, she still had tremendous trust in the authorities, mainly because of her adopted father. 'It fits', she thought 'that he is a cop.' In her mind, she had worked it out. He was obviously new, because she had not seen him until yesterday. She now surmised that he was undercover agent; after all, the police had many of them in all of the major yakuza organizations. He had to be, the way he spoke about her father's profession..  
  
"Where will you go?" he asked, disturbing her train of thought.  
  
She couldn't stay at her apartment; it was imbedded deep in Hajime territory, where everyone knew where to find her. "I'm not sure." She said quietly. Kaoru knew no one outside of the yakuza, except for her adopted mother. But she wouldn't go back there, she wouldn't be welcome. Megumi and Sano were obviously out of the question. There was no one..  
  
"Let's go." Kenshin said firmly. "My apartment, my real apartment "he corrected himself, "is on the other side of town. You'll be safe there."  
  
Kaoru stared at him with wide blue eyes. She barely comprehended what he was suggesting, or perhaps more appropriately termed, commanding. His fiery yellow eyes met with hers and swept all of the questions away that were formulating in her mind. She stood up and obediently followed him out of the park.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Sorry it's so short, I haven't had a lot of time this week, but this weekend should be different, so I'll make up for it then.  
  
Thanks for the reviews; they're very encouraging. The comments about anonymous reviewing were helpful, only it took me a while to figure out how to set it up (it was buried in the Settings menu).  
  
This isn't a reproduction of Romeo and Juliet; sorry if that disappoints you. I can see how the introduction might give you that idea; I made the same connection a little while ago too. However, I can't seem to think of any good summaries, so the misleading one stays for now..  
  
Side Note: I have read quite a few other fan fictions, but I've never realized until now how much work goes into these stories. So I'm taking this space to applaude any other foolish writers, such as myself, who attempted these feats. Poor souls that they are.. 


	7. Chapter 7 Roomate

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 7: Roommate  
  
Kenshin unlocked the door to his apartment, his real apartment, not the one he had been using as a supposed member of the Hajime yakuza. It was a simple flat, not large, and furnished modestly. They entered into the hallway, which ran along side the open, airy kitchen. On the other side of the hallway, there were several doors; one that led to a spacious bedroom, the other to a bathroom, and the last was a closet. Kenshin continued through the hallway, which ended at a living room. It was a bachelor's home.  
  
The girl walked behind him, timidly examining his domicile out of the corner of her eyes. Kenshin led her to the sitting area, stared at her and then at the sofa. She got the idea and took a seat.  
  
"You want something to eat?" He asked, examining her face.  
  
She shook her head, sending her black ponytail swooshing at her back.  
  
Kenshin turned on his heel and walked out of the room without a word. She heard the door open and then slam shut with violent force. Kaoru waited several minutes, listening for another sound. None. Cautiously she got up from her seat and peered around the corner and out into the hall. No one. She wondered anxiously about that door, was she locked in? She ventured up to it, turned the deadbolt latch, and slowly started to open the door. She breathed a sigh of relief as it swung out into the hall; she could leave anytime she wanted. She shut the door again and flipped the deadbolt back into place. Kaoru had thought about examining the apartment and its rooms. But then she shuddered when she remembered those amber eyes and decided against it.  
  
Half an hour later, she heard the lock click loudly and the apartment door creak open. Kaoru sat nervously in the same spot on the couch. Kenshin walked into the room and examined her curiously, a diminutive look of skepticism on his mostly expressionless face. Kaoru blushed. In his right hand, he held his daisho, a katana and a wakizashi, which he placed on several brackets embedded on the large wall. Then he turned around and faced her.  
  
"You're tired," He stated plainly.  
  
She started to protest, but the look in his authoritative eyes quelled any objections she might have. She pursed her lips and stared with great interest at her feet.  
  
"Come."  
  
Kaoru sighed mentally and got up from her position on the couch. She stared intently at his back as he led her down the hallway. So intently that she almost collided with him when he stopped suddenly, opening a door to his right.  
  
"You can sleep here." He gestured towards the room.  
  
Kaoru peered inside the dim space; she could just make out a large bed and something that resembled an armoire.  
  
Cautiously, she redirected her gaze, to peer into his blank face.  
  
"Where will you sleep?" she asked meekly.  
  
"On the sofa." He responded. She would swear that she heard a hint of amusement in his voice.  
  
"Oh." She stared at the floor, formulating another question. However, when she looked up again he was gone.  
  
Kaoru wondered at how quietly he moved, and then shrugged. 'He was a skilled government agent after all.' she thought to herself before she entered the bedroom.  
  
She didn't bother switching the light on, she just ambled over to the bed, kicked off her shoes, and crept under the voluminous covers. Sleep didn't come easy to Kaoru that night; thoughts of her father and the yakuza filled her consciousness and the feel of a foreign bed crawled on her skin. Nevertheless, when exhaustion overwhelmed her, Kaoru gave easily into its embrace and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
------------------------  
  
Kenshin slouched into the leather armchair that faced the wall-length windows of his apartment. His sipped at the glass of vodka he had retrieved from the kitchen earlier. It tasted awful, but felt incredibly good.  
  
He let his thoughts roam as he stared vacantly at the lights that dotted the dark skyline of Kyoto. He thought of the girl. A roommate was one thing Kenshin had never had. In fact, the idea of sharing his place of solitude with another person was an extremely irritating prospect. Yet it was also intriguing. 'Would she always be as wary as she was tonight?' he wondered. Then he remembered that it didn't really matter, she was only a temporary houseguest.  
  
--------------------------  
  
The morning sun came, dowsing Kenshin's sitting figure with vibrant orange light. He squinted at the sun's rays and the empty shot glass slipped from his hand. With amazing speed, he caught the glass before it met the floor. Kenshin sighed inwardly and strode off to the kitchen to deposit the dishware in the small, stainless steel sink. He redirected his paces to his bedroom, and opened the door.  
  
His memory still slightly cloudy from the vodka he had downed the night before, Kenshin peeled off his shirt and started at his pants before he noticed the figure lying in his bed. He stared curiously at the sleeping girl, or rather, what he could see of her. She was wrapped tightly in his sheets up to her shoulders, with her back facing him. Her dark hair had escaped its tie and was spread widely across his pillow. She stirred. Kenshin held his breath, hoping anxiously that she wouldn't wake up. But his oxygen-deprivation was to no avail. She slid out from under the covers and turned around to face him. Her eyes were still shut, as she stretched out her arms gracefully. Her face still carried the peaceful expression of sleep, then she opened her eyes.  
  
Kaoru's eyes went wide as she observed Kenshin's half-naked form standing in front of her. She met his surprised stare and she looked like she was on the verge of screaming. Kenshin wasn't quite sure how to react, but he did feel rather annoyed at this inconvenience. Furthermore, he hated screaming women. So he did what he decided was the sensible thing to do.  
  
He glared at her, letting his intense amber eyes convey his annoyance. It worked. Kaoru suppressed her initial reaction, and instead returned his gaze with questioning blue eyes. He continued to scowl while he refastened his pants. Kenshin ignored her and flung open the armoire doors. He grabbed some clean clothing and marched out of the room, leaving behind a perturbed, and slightly drowsy Kaoru.  
  
Kenshin changed in the bathroom; the scowl still clung to his face. This was not the way he wanted to start the day. Kenshin finished dressing and moved to the kitchen, he glanced into the living room. The girl was there, sprawled out on the couch and staring into space. Her unruly hair had been tamed into a ponytail on top of her head. Kenshin sighed mentally and thought, 'So this is what it's like having a roommate.'  
  
Kenshin rummaged through his fridge, finally emerging with a carton of eggs, an onion, and a glass bottle of soy sauce. He set a skillet on the gas stove and started to prepare omelets. Several minutes later, he placed breakfast on the kitchen table and strode out into the empty living room.  
  
'Where is that girl?' Kenshin asked himself, slightly peeved that she would just disappear.  
  
He checked the bedroom, however it was vacant. Then he listened at the bathroom door at the quiet sounds of running water. He knocked.  
  
"Uh..Hai?" Said a muffled voice.  
  
"Breakfast is getting cold." He said, irritated.  
  
"I'm not hungry." She said apologetically.  
  
Kenshin glared at the wooden door. What did she mean she 'wasn't hungry'? He had cooked breakfast for her.  
  
"You should eat." He said angrily, it wasn't so much advice, as it was an order.  
  
"Okay." She responded timidly. The water stopped and the door slowly opened. Kaoru meekly met Kenshin's aggravated stare for a brief moment before looking at the floor.  
  
The omelets were surprisingly good, Kaoru thought; however she didn't mention this to Kenshin, he still looked slightly miffed. They sat in awkward silence for a lengthy time before Kenshin, surprisingly, spoke.  
  
"I'll be gone today." He said, "I have work."  
  
Kaoru looked up.  
  
"Oh," she replied, trying to seem interested. "When will you be back?"  
  
"Late."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Kenshin cleared the table of dishes and placed them in the sink. He grabbed his coat and katana and headed out the door. Kaoru watched from the table as he carried out his routine. And because she that it was appropriate, well, at least compulsory, she called out "Good Bye." right before he shut the door.  
  
On the other side, Kenshin smirked. ''Good Bye.' Now that was new.' He thought and walked down the hall.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Looking back on this chapter, I realized that it was not actually necessary. So I'll use the excuse I used last time: It was for character development. ^__^  
  
Oh well, at least I hope this installment was mildly entertaining.  
  
I've also come to realize that the plot is mildly confusing. It will get worse, before it gets better. Sorry. So I have made a plot outline!  
  
Kaoru is the bodyguard of the leader of the Hajime yakuza, Madame Tokio. Kaoru is having difficulties with her work because it forces her in to confrontations with the police. Her past is the problem behind her reluctance: Her adopted father, Kamiya Kazuki, was a policeman. He worked largely against the Hiko yakuza (the Hajime yakuza's rival) When Kaoru was six he found her living on the streets in the district of Kyoto that was controlled by the Hiko yakuza. He and his wife were unable to have children, so when he grew attached to Kaoru he adopted her. Kazuki taught her Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. When Kaoru was sixteen, Kazuki was killed by the Hiko Yakuza, in an attempted drug bust. Kaoru broke down emotionally. She was depressed, but refused to mourn or show any emotions over Kazuki's death. Then she disappeared. Kaoru joined the Hajime yakuza. They were in constant conflict with the Hiko yakuza, so Kaoru believed that she would be flouting her adopted father's killers by doing this. Kaoru is twenty when she first meets Kenshin. He initially tells her that he works for the Hajime Yakuza, like she does. Kaoru has that meeting with Madame Tokio that causes her anguish, because it brings back memories of her father. Kenshin comes along and forces her to admit her emotions, properly mourn, and realize that being part of a yakuza is not what her father would have wanted. (You don't know why he does this yet) Kaoru asks him who he is. Kenshin tells her that he is a policeman, working undercover as an operative in the Hajime Yakuza. Kaoru can't return to her apartment because the yakuza controls that area and she needs to lay low for a while. So she goes to stay with Kenshin.  
  
I hope this clarifies a few things.  
  
-stony brook 


	8. Chapter 8 Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 8: Betrayal  
  
A cool breeze whipped across Kenshin's face, ruffling his blazing hair into slight disarray. It didn't seem to faze him; the last thing on Kenshin's mind was his appearance, which was unusual. Typically, he felt overly conscious of his cross-scarred cheek, strange burgundy hair, and the katana that swung at his side, but not today. First and foremost on his mind was his meeting with his boss, his very demanding boss. Then there was a certain blue-eyed houseguest that recently and all too frequently invaded his thoughts. Both of these contemplations put him into a brooding mood.  
  
He walked into headquarters with an irritated look in his gleaming yellow eyes, which kept the men inside from questioning him. Not that they didn't already know who he was. Kenshin swept past them and into a small corridor that ran from the side of the main room. He worked his way to the very end of the hall, coming face-to-face with a large oak door. It didn't seem like it would be much of a room, being that it was in such a remote and unremarkable part of the building, but Kenshin knew better.  
  
He knocked loudly on the door several times.  
  
"Come in," a gruff voice resounded from behind the door.  
  
Kenshin turned the knob and pushed the unusually heavy door open. He knew that it wasn't just the solid wood that contributed to its weight; it was also the plate of dense, bulletproof, steel embedded in its center. Behind it sat a well-muscled man, his face obscured by the lack of lighting. However Kenshin didn't need to see his face to know who it was.  
  
"Boss." Kenshin greeted the man behind the desk unceremoniously.  
  
The man observed Kenshin for a long moment before taking a drink from the glass that sat in front of him.  
  
"Well?" He asked Kenshin expectantly.  
  
"I was unable to infiltrate the Hajime yakuza successfully." Kenshin cringed at his own words. "I was kept in a position in the hierarchy that was too unprivileged to learn any news of their dealings."  
  
"That better not be all." His boss remarked irritably.  
  
"No." Kenshin replied, keeping the bite out of his response. "The Kamiya girl that guarded Madame Tokio decided to leave yakuza, she's staying with me."  
  
"Really?" the man asked, slightly amused.  
  
"Hai." Kenshin scowled.  
  
"Has she offered to help?" he asked, interested.  
  
"No. I don't think that it would be a good idea." Kenshin replied forcefully.  
  
"Well, I'm not concerned with what you think." The man said with equal emphasis.  
  
Kenshin bite back a response.  
  
"However, " the man continued. "I think that she might be quite useful in getting us our much needed information."  
  
Kenshin glanced at his boss uneasily, he didn't like where this was going.  
  
"Ask her, Kenshin, if she would do this organization, and you, a favor by being an operative, albeit temporary, in the Hajime yakuza. See if she can't dig up the time and place of Tokio-san's little get-together." The man smiled at his own shrewdness.  
  
Kenshin glared heavily at his boss.  
  
"I don't think so." He replied heatedly.  
  
"Then stop thinking, and follow your orders. That was an order, you know." The man said angrily.  
  
Kenshin sighed internally and murmured a "Hai" before he turned to leave. He reached for the doorknob, but was stopped.  
  
"Oh, and Kenshin, she is your responsibility from now on. Make sure that she accomplishes the objective."  
  
Kenshin only turned and swung the substantial door open. He closed it behind him with a resounding thud and trekked back out into the bustling main room. He still had more work to do today.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Ten minutes after Kenshin had left, Kaoru still sat in the hard wooden chair at the kitchen table. She sighed, wondering exactly what she was waiting for. She glanced at the dirty dishes piled in the sink, and then immediately looked away. Not a chance, Kaoru thought to herself. She pulled herself from the seat and headed towards the bathroom.  
  
Kaoru examined the bathroom with slight curiosity. It was extremely clean and uncluttered. She remembered her apartment and its little, messy bathroom and cringed inwardly. Kaoru flipped back the glass door of the shower-bathtub combination and turned the water on. It cascaded from the faucet set at the side of the tub; she flipped a small switch on it, expecting the water to switch to the showerhead. Instead, it continued to pour from the faucet and into the tub.  
  
'Great,' she thought, 'The shower's broken.'  
  
Kaoru turned the knobs, allowing the hot water to pour even faster from its shining faucet. She would have to take a bath.  
  
After lavishing in the steaming water for half an hour, Kaoru struggled out of the bath and groped for a towel. She pulled a dark blue one from beneath the sink and wrapped it around her. She was hesitant to put her clothes back on; they were dirty, stinking, and crumpled in to oblivion. Instead she found a similarly dark blue robe and replaced her towel with it. She ran her fingers through her sopping wet hair before tugging it back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. She walked out into the sitting room and plopped down on the couch. There was nothing; no TV, no radio, no magazines or books. Kaoru sighed, she didn't mind. She was lucky that he was letting her stay here and she couldn't be upset with anything he offered, or more accurately, didn't offer.  
  
Kaoru walked back into the kitchen and filled the sink with tepid water. She searched below the sink before emerging with dishwashing soap, which she poured, in abundant amounts, into the murky water. Kaoru plunged her hands in and started scrubbing at a skillet crusted over with eggs from the morning.  
  
She sighed, she knew she would have to get used to 'womanly chores', as Sano called them, that is, right before he received her backhand to his face, eventually. She smiled as she recalled Sano's pervasive nature; she missed him already. But those fierce amber eyes filled her concentration once again, and she set about, almost cheerfully, to washing his dishes, in his apartment.  
  
--------------------------  
  
It was late, sometime around eight thirty, as Kenshin strode down the corridor of his apartment building. He was reluctant to come home at the present, wanting to delay confronting the girl with his boss' plans just yet. But he knew he couldn't, it was an order and Kenshin always followed orders. Unfortunately, his boss was well aware of this and used his employee's loyalty to no end.  
  
As he reached his apartment door, Kenshin's nose registered something foul coming from within. It smelt like burning. At least a hundred different scenarios played themselves out in Kenshin's mind in a matter of a single second before his hand met with the doorknob. Locked. Of course. With no time to lose, Kenshin didn't hesitate to draw his katana and slice the lock in half.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Kaoru's eyes watered and she coughed lightly as small clouds of white smoke started to billow from the stove. She stepped back and fanned the air in front of her face.  
  
'Not a disaster.' Kaoru tried to reassure herself.  
  
Then again that is what she told herself five minutes ago when the smoke alarm had first started to go off. Now the poor piece of plastic lay shattered on the linoleum floor, courtesy of Kaoru's short temper. The small fire prospering in the skillet, flared up once again.  
  
'Okay. Not good.' She thought, becoming very alarmed.  
  
Kaoru jumped back in surprise as a loud thud echoed through the apartment, rapid footsteps followed immediately. She froze in place, holding her breath. Kenshin darted into the kitchen and with one quick scan observed the whole situation. He did not look pleased. The red-haired man reacted immediately, pulling a small fire extinguisher out from under the sink, he dosed the flaming stove. Within seconds the relatively small flames flicker out of existence. Kenshin replaced the red canister and turned to face her.  
  
The look on his face was something that froze the blood in Kaoru's veins. His eyes reflected a mixture of fury and extreme irritation. He looked dangerous and Kaoru filled with dread under his intense amber glare. She looked at the floor.  
  
"I..uh..I'm sorry." She stammered, quickly glancing at his face anxiously.  
  
He seemed to sigh and Kaoru tried for a better look at his expression. He appeared much calmer, and obviously relieved.  
  
"What the hell were you trying to do?" he asked, apparently still aggravated.  
  
"Cook dinner." She managed meekly.  
  
"I see.." His voice faded off, with a hint of amusement.  
  
Kaoru looked up and met his gaze head-on. An odd smiled was quirked at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes glowed, but without the ferocity.  
  
Kaoru scowled, a small frown etching her lips.  
  
"What?!" she asked gruffly.  
  
"Your face." He said, now obviously entertained. He also noticed that she wore his blue rob.  
  
"What about my face?" Kaoru asked anxiously, feeling to make sure that all of her eyebrows were still there. They were.  
  
Kenshin reached out one strong hand and wiped the tip of her nose with a calloused finger; he held it up for her scrutiny. Kaoru frowned; there was some sort of batter on it. She reached for a dishtowel and started to rub the food from her face. Kaoru scowled from behind the towel, she could swear that she heard him stifle a laugh.  
  
-------------------------  
  
It had taken a good two hours to fully clean the scorched kitchen. By the time they had completed their task, both of their stomachs were starved for food. Kenshin pulled some leftovers from the fridge and set them in front of her. Over mouthfuls of rice, Kaoru attempted to explain to Kenshin how his kitchen caught fire, and why he would need to buy a new fire alarm. He listened with mild interest as she recollected the ordeal with her expressive cobalt eyes; he observed the emotions dance in them like flickering lights. For the most part ignoring her actual words, Kenshin more or less understood by watching her face.  
  
After a lapse in the mostly one-sided conversation, Kenshin resolved to confront his orders.  
  
"Kaoru-san." He started, gaining her attention. "I have something to ask you."  
  
"Hai?" she asked with a quizzical look on her features.  
  
Kenshin paused, trying to organize his thoughts. 'How can I ask her this?' he wondered.  
  
"Himura-san?" She asked after his lag.  
  
Kenshin sighed quietly. "My boss .. I .. would ask you to consider helping us to put an end to the yakuza.. the Hajime yakuza."  
  
Kaoru gulped, she was visibly troubled.  
  
"To arrest them, we would need your assistance." He added  
  
"Like police work?" she sounded so unsure.  
  
"Yes, sort of. You wouldn't have to do any of the apprehending, just get us the information we need to find them." Kenshin tried to sound reassuring.  
  
Kaoru digested what he had just said, working it over slowly in her mind.  
  
"What would I have to do?" she asked.  
  
"Pretend nothing happened and go back to the yakuza. See if you can't find out when and where they are planning on holding that inter-city meeting that they do every year."  
  
Kaoru nodded. Kenshin could only imagine what thoughts passed through her consideration at that time. The ties she had with the yakuza were deep and questioned more than just her loyalty. In a gang, betrayal was considered the worst offense possible. However, Kaoru had chosen a different path, she owed a lot to the police. Her original rescue at the age of six and adoption by her policeman father created extremely strong bonds, which bound her even as part of the yakuza.  
  
"Tomorrow," she began quietly, "I can find out tomorrow, by the evening."  
  
Kenshin stared at the stone exterior that began to formulate around her.  
  
"You should leave early in the morning." Kenshin advised. "Act as if everything is completely normal. When you find out, come back here. That will be all you have to do."  
  
Kaoru nodded her understanding and stared glumly at the tabletop.  
  
-------------------------  
  
It was early in the morning, maybe five o'clock. Kaoru had changed into her old clothing and combed back her ebony hair. She glanced nervously at Kenshin who stood in front of her, examining her with perceptive eyes. He nodded his assent, indicating that she would pass scrutiny back at the Hajime yakuza. Kaoru sighed and opened the door; she stepped outside in to the corridor and closed it without glancing back. She had to keep focused on her mission.  
  
Half an hour later, she arrived at her apartment door with '304' embossed on its front. She unlocked the door and strode inside, stumbling around messy piles of old books and clothing. She had gotten used to a clean and uncluttered apartment. Kaoru wandered into her bedroom and changed into wonderfully clean clothes.  
  
She waited apprehensively for several hours, for a sign, a contact, anything. Then the phone rang. She let it ring for several seconds before she quickly scooped it up from its place of rest.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Today's meeting is at 1:20. Headquarters." Then the line went dead.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Kaoru left the apartment building and slowly paced towards Hajime headquarters. She entered the familiar building and navigated its halls to the office of Madame Tokio. She knocked.  
  
"Come in." a recognizable female voice called.  
  
Kaoru entered and hesitantly glimpsed at the woman. She tried to seem calm and collected, as though she had never left. Although wild thoughts ran through her mind, rationally she believed that they couldn't know of her betrayal. She had been gone for a day and there were no other indicators. She inhaled slowly, allowing the thoughts to flee her contemplation.  
  
"We can go now. The meeting is a few doors down." Madame Tokio said.  
  
Kaoru followed the woman from her office and down the short hallway. She stopped behind her as Tokio reached for a door handle and flung it open. Inside, there sat several men around a long rectangular office table. They were all important figures in Kyoto's Hajime yakuza, here to discuss when and where to hold the final, chief meeting of all of the Hajime's key officials from around Japan. They were all business.  
  
Within an hour, they had decided upon the place and time of the meeting with a satisfactory air of achievement. Kaoru engraved that information upon her mind as she watched the men file out of the room, leaving Madame Tokio, herself, and four other rough-looking gangsters behind. Tokio got up from her seat at the head of the table and headed towards the door with a quick gait, Kaoru started to follow her, but her path was blocked by one of the men. She looked up at him angrily.  
  
"I'm sorry Kaoru, but we can't let you leave. Who knows who you might tell." Madame Tokio's voice said sadly from the doorway.  
  
"What?!" Kaoru asked incredulously, and quite anxiously. Her blue eyes widened as fear starting to creep from the corners of her mind.  
  
"Yes. I know about whom it was that you left with two days ago. I'm truly sad to see that you, Kaoru, of all people would betray me." She sounded sincere. "I'll deal with you after the meeting. Until then please don't do anything rash."  
  
With that, Madame Tokio shut the door, leaving Kaoru alone with the four gangsters, none of which looked particularly friendly. In fact, they looked very angry. Betrayal was not something to be taken lightly in the yakuza and these men did not seem like the compassionate type.  
  
Suddenly, rough hands seized Kaoru from behind, compressing her arms to her sides. She gasped as the air escaped her lungs; panic began to overcome into her mind. She struggled in the tight grasp of her captor before she managed to stamp solidly on the man's instep. He threw her to the floor roughly, cursing as he did so. Her head smacked the cement with a sickening sound and the room spun haphazardly. They were on top of her in an instant, one man twisting her arm agonizingly; she cried out as a bolt of pain rushed through her side. With one well-placed blow to the temple she slipped from consciousness into the black abyss.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Cliffhanger!! Sorry that this took so long to post. I'll try to get the next one out sooner. Sorry if there typos.  
  
I had a question concerning my name. I chose it because my last name, translated from German, is stony brook. Nope, nothing to do with the Babysitter's club, but I did laugh when Dove of Night mentioned it. I vaguely remember those books; that's pretty strange, ne?  
  
-stony brook 


	9. Chapter 9 Responsibility

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 9: Responsibility  
  
Kaoru slipped from darkness into darkness, except that this darkness had tangibility and substance, unlike the previous sensation of utter nothingness. She groaned at the prospect of being able to feel again, she much preferred the numbness to the throbbing pain that built with every growing thread of consciousness. She blinked into the darkness trying to find a recognizable entity, but she gave up in consternation when she realized that there was absolutely no light.  
  
Kaoru shifted her wait and attempted to sit up. She realized her mistake and fell back onto the cold floor; her head rebelled violently to being moved at all. She gritted her teeth, not allowing her asinine skull to determine her situation, she wedged her arms against the cement and leaned up. Second mistake. Her left arm collapsed under her weight in to a puddle of bleeding, dislocated pain. Kaoru gasped this time.  
  
'Definitely broken,' She thought to herself with much chagrin and a few unsolicited tears.  
  
She eased all weight off of her injured appendage, and resolutely ignored her screaming headache. She tried one more time; she discovered her final wound this way. Her side screamed bloody-murder as she forced herself to her knees. Kaoru cried out with a mixture of pain and determination, clutching at the right side of her abdomen.  
  
Ironically, brilliant colors flashed before her eyes; now, of course, she could see something besides darkness. She waited her several minutes for the feeling to pass and for her breathing to return to a regular pace.  
  
She remembered, as though watching through a distant window, Madame Tokio's words.  
  
"Yes. I know about whom it was that you left with two days ago. I'm truly sad to see that you, Kaoru, of all people would betray me. I'll deal with you after the meeting. Until then please don't do anything rash."  
  
'Anything rash,' Kaoru smirked. 'Like getting the hell out of here."  
  
Slowly she crawled on her knees and right hand, hoping to run into a wall eventually. Unfortunately she did, causing her even more undue pain. She ran her hand along the walls, edging along them at an infuriatingly slow rate. After nearly ten minutes of wearisome searching her small hand located a cold fixture jutting from the walls surface. 'A doorknob!' Kaoru thought excitedly and very relieved. She curled her fingers about it and turned it only a scant few degrees before it jammed to a halt.  
  
Kaoru sighed in frustration, rationally she knew it would be locked, but she had hoped against all odds that the gods would show some uncharacteristic pity to her poor luckless self. Though, not today. However, Kaoru didn't give up easily; she was routinely stubborn beyond any point of reasonable thinking. So she propped her back against the wall and hoisted herself to her shaky feet.  
  
She backed up a few unstable steps and blindly aimed one good kick at the door. It didn't budge, but Kaoru did, falling backwards on to her sorely abused side, which caused her to cry out once again in pain-induced shock and anger. But, as was mentioned before, Kaoru was stubborn beyond all ration. So even when her body screamed for mercy, she soundly planted five more kicks at the equally stubborn door, before she finally proved her will to be stronger and forced the hinges out of the frame. The hinge-less door flew open at an odd angle and dim light scattered into the room that served as Kaoru's cell.  
  
She took one quick glance into the hall to ensure that no one was around before stumbling away.  
  
--------------------  
  
Kenshin was nervous, which, as he reflected, never happened. He scowled at the unwelcome feelings, but it didn't serve to dissipate them in the least. Kaoru should have been back at least an hour ago.  
  
'What is keeping that foolish girl?' he thought irritably to himself.  
  
Kenshin used his grumpiness to cover his growing concern. A million different scenarios had already crossed over his usually focused mind. Had she decided to stay with the yakuza? Was she hurt? Did she find out the truth and run away? Was she just late?  
  
He shook his head to clear himself of lingering questions and glared at the dying sunlight. He hated worrying, and in all honesty who was she to him? That thought had been plaguing him a lot recently. 'Nothing,' he would tell himself. Yet, that wasn't convincing. He felt more connected to her than anyone else in his lonely existence, which didn't say much. She was far from a friend, but probably the closest thing he had to one. 'She's nothing to me,' He would remind himself. He had only known the girl for two days, barely two days. 'Nothing.' But those expressive blue eyes told him differently.  
  
'Where the hell is she?'  
  
-----------------------  
  
Kaoru slinked against the wall, trying to force it to support some of her weight. She could barely move, could barely remain conscious. Every thought she had was bent on ignoring the pain and managing one more step. Then the worst happened. Four men, horribly familiar, appeared around the corner. They gaped at her momentarily before rushing forward with angry scowls.  
  
'Oh gods.' Kaoru thought ironically before she turned and fled from their rough grasps.  
  
She ran with strength that she didn't think she had left. Gasping for breath with lungs that were about to burst. Her eyes started to water, but she blinked it away. 'No time to cry, just run.'  
  
Several times she thought they had her, but each time she was able to fend them off with desperate blows. She didn't think that she could last much longer, when mercifully she came upon a staircase that led to an emergency exit. She quickly thanked whatever god had conjured this benign act of divinity before staggering up the steps, the four men hot on her heals. She flung open the door and stumbled out in to the street, lit by the amber glow of the dying light. 'Amber..' she thought to herself before she collapsed on to the asphalt.  
  
---------------------  
  
'Two hours late,' Kenshin growled at the setting sun.  
  
He had tried to stifle the growing feeling of dread that swarmed at the pit of his stomach. Then, he gave up. Something was definitely wrong, his entire psyche told him so. Yet, Kenshin was not rash in the slightest bit. His actions were carefully calculated and deliberated over before he allowed himself to make any moves. And currently his calculating mind told him that he should stay put and wait for her. The mission would unquestionably fail if he impulsively stormed in to the headquarters of the Hajime yakuza and demanded Kaoru. So much was obvious to his reasoning mind, but it did nothing to quell the growing doubt.  
  
Kaoru was his responsibility, his boss had told him so. He had to ensure her safety.  
  
'If she is in trouble then the mission is already a failure,' he reasoned with himself.  
  
Kenshin clenched his hand and gave the city one last determined look before turning away from the window. He quickly seized his katana from its place on the wall and secured it to his side. He flicked the blade from its sheath and gave it one last considerate glance before thrusting it back into place. The amber-eyed man strode from the apartment like a growing storm, unhesitant and unrestrained.  
  
The last lights of the sun illuminated the street in front of Hajime headquarters, casting a hazy glow on the entire area. Kenshin had left his motorcycle several blocks away and approached the building on foot. It was far less conspicuous than riding up the building, parking out front and strolling in the front entrance. He skirted along the crowds and made his way to the side of the giant building. He was shocked at what he saw next.  
  
A door, only forty feet in front of him, swung open with violent force. He had immediately crouched into a defensive position, laying his hand across his katana. Then he could only stare in shock as a very bloody, weary looking creature stumbled out of the door and collapsed on to the street. Four angry men followed the unconscious person out of the door. It only took Kenshin a moment to realize who lay a short distance in front of him.  
  
'Kaoru,' his mind thought frantically.  
  
Then, his thoughts focused and his vision cleared in the way only a man such as Kenshin could. He narrowed his gaze at the men who approached Kaoru's prone figure and tightened his grip on his katana. One of the men reached down to grab her arm.  
  
"Don't," he fiercely commanded.  
  
The four men looked startled at Kenshin before one of them had the clarity of thought to say something.  
  
"What'd you say?" he slurred, trying to seem unperturbed, but Kenshin could see a glint of fear in his eyes as he examined the rough man standing ahead of him.  
  
"Don't," Kenshin said in a voice so low it was almost a growl.  
  
The man tried to smirk and said to his comrades, "Bring 'er inside."  
  
At that moment the man had the stupidity to look away from the red-haired intruder and glance at his friends. Kenshin had covered the distance in an instant, drawing his katana as he did so. He placed the blade lightly against the man's throat, his amber eyes burrowing into his skull.  
  
"I said don't" he repeated, barely a whisper.  
  
The man's eyes went wide with fear and surprise as all of the blood drained from his grizzly face. The three other gangsters froze in their actions to raise the unconscious woman. The focused their attention on their attacker. Malice grew in their eyes and they prepared to fight. After all, it was four on one, what could go wrong?  
  
With several swipes of his blade, Kenshin had finished off the last of them. He shook the blood from his katana as he deposited it back in its sheath. His expression remained entirely blank, only the glow from his fiery eyes indicated the emotions that seethed under the surface.  
  
He bent down next to Kaoru and gingerly turned her onto her back. Kenshin grimaced at what he saw, blood was pooling at her side and her arm was severely broken. Her face was very pale and slightly bruised. Anger brewed in Kenshin's heart as he noticed the pained look that adorned her features even in sleep. He could only imagine the extent of the injuries that he couldn't see.  
  
With a light touch, he moved his arms under her lifeless body and pulled her from the ground. She unconsciously cringed as he shifted her in to his arms and Kenshin frowned. He strode with deliberate paces away from the Hajime yakuza's headquarters and towards his waiting bike. Kaoru would survive, but she needed to see a doctor as soon as possible. Soon.  
  
Kenshin clutched the girl to him with one hand as he sped away into the streets.  
  
'My responsibility..' he thought as the sun finally set over Kyoto.  
  
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Author's Notes:  
  
I am profusely sorry that this chapter was so short; I meant to make it much longer. However, it really ended up being what I wanted to include in chapter eight, but didn't. Chapter nine was supposed to include more and different material. Gomen!  
  
I'll try to make up for it in Chapter 10, but I can't guarantee it because I've been saying that a lot lately. I can really procrastinate.  
  
-stony brook 


	10. Chapter 10 Bittersweet Oblivion

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony  
  
Fair Kyoto  
  
Chapter 10: Bittersweet Oblivion  
  
"Did she find out?" a brusque voice asked him.  
  
"I don't know," Kenshin responded grimly.  
  
"What do you mean you 'don't know'?" the voice mocked his words irritably.  
  
Kenshin involuntarily scowled at his boss. What did he want him to do? Kaoru was unconscious after all. She had been in a state of comatose for almost a day now, ever since he had rescued her from the street.  
  
"Don't scowl at me, stupid boy," his boss ordered suddenly.  
  
Kenshin's face cleared instantly, he hadn't realized he'd been scowling.  
  
"She's been sleeping since I brought her back." Kenshin answered his previous question with a carefully neutral tone.  
  
"Then wake her up!" he commanded with vehemence.  
  
Kenshin glowered at his boss, deliberately this time. He was about to inform him that it wasn't realistically possible to wake one as unconscious as Kaoru..  
  
"Ugh! No sense of humor," he interrupted his employee's sarcastic remark before he even had the time to breath a word.  
  
Kenshin didn't think that anything he had said was remotely humorous, much less worth a response. He proved so by staring in unvoiced annoyance at his boss, who reclined in his chair, taking a draught from the glass in his hand. He was well aware of Kenshin's intense stare, but ignored its implication and continued to smirk at his employee in silent amusement.  
  
"Fine." He said as though it was a great concession, "Report back to me when the girl wakes."  
  
"Hai," Kenshin's response was firm and automatic, stemming from profuse amounts of training and obedience.  
  
He turned on his heel and swiftly left his boss' office and back to his apartment.  
  
-------------------  
  
The darkness was overwhelming; it flowed through her, ebbing at the limbs she couldn't see. It swelled around her like a great river, whipping at her feet and hands, trying to pull her in to its inexorable current. However, Kaoru could tell that this darkness was different from the anesthetizing blanket that had engulfed her only moments before. For one, she had conscious thought, the ability to comprehend, to a certain extent, her surroundings. She felt the stillness, the lack of time and place that determined her to be at rest in the ether. Nowhere, and yet everywhere. She hadn't thought to be afraid, to realize any emotions at all. Kaoru just drifted in the darkness.  
  
Abruptly, the sound of harsh breathing startled her from her trance. It seemed to come from everywhere, even from inside of her, or what she thought was she. Then her lack of substance shifted and a body of flesh and blood once again, contained her. The ether disappeared and there was only darkness, the dark ground on which she stood, and the dark sky above her. There was space and time, and there were emotions, pain and confusion. The breathing rasped in her ears, growing more quickly, the breathing came closer, faster, stronger. She knew fear and she ran into the darkness frantically, but the gasps followed her relentlessly. The terror was primeval, coming from the depths of her soul, a primordial monster that chased her wherever she fled. Suddenly she felt warm, rough arms envelope her and hold her tight. Kaoru heard a heartbeat, strong and steady. She listened to it, letting the beat drown out the terrorizing breathing until it was only a humming in the back of her mind.  
  
Kaoru closed her mind and drifted back into the cataleptic state, permitting the numbing emptiness to sweep away her emotions and conscious thought. No awareness, but also no pain or fear, like a bittersweet oblivion.  
  
------------------  
  
Kenshin skilled hands sent the sharp blade plunging through its victim; a rather small carrot. He was fixing lunch for himself and Kaoru, even though the girl was unconscious and so unable to eat. However, he had prepared every meal for two people, in the hopes that she would wake up in time to join him. This was his third attempt at cooking for two and as he deemed it his 'last'. It was a waste of food and time, he concluded. Yet the impulse to cook for her was so strong that it had besieged his rational thoughts. He couldn't understand why he liked catering for the girl, so he shrugged the emotions off and went back to cutting.  
  
'Thirty-six hours after her escape, and she's still asleep,' Kenshin thought dimly as he finished off the vegetable.  
  
A small noise caught his sharp hearing, and then there was nothing. He shrugged it off and went back to chopping. There it was again, but this time right behind him. Kenshin turned in a flask, the kitchen knife poised to strike in his hand.  
  
"Kaoru," he breathed.  
  
She stared dumbly at the knife and then met his gaze with wide blue eyes, which shuttered and grew pale. She slid against the doorframe; her left arm lay across her chest, hung in a sling that was really just a long, white cloth. He quickly deposited the blade on the counter behind him and rushed to her side.  
  
"You should not be up," he said firmly, but gently.  
  
She smiled weakly and leaned into his grasp with a weary sigh.  
  
"I'm fine," she lied.  
  
Kenshin stared down at her with a twinge of concern. She was tired, sick, and very stubborn. Without any warning, Kenshin ducked down and picked her up into his arms.  
  
She gasped and then scowled.  
  
"Put me down," she demanded.  
  
He ignored her request and started towards the bedroom.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
Kenshin froze in mid-stride and looked down into her angry expression. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and glared at him with a petulant look.  
  
"It took me five minutes to get out of that bed and another five to get to the kitchen," She scolded. "You are not going to put me back in it."  
  
He gazed at her with barely concealed annoyance and even less obvious amusement; he seriously considered throwing her into bed and forcing several Tylenol PM into her. She looked like she need rest, but she had already slept for a day and a half. Plus he needed to get back to lunch before it burned, and he knew that he wouldn't if he had to medicate her against her will. Then again, he could always slip it in to her food..Kenshin shook that thought from his mind.  
  
Kaoru's gaze remained unwavering as she examined Kenshin's thoughtful expression. She caught a wicked gleam in his amber eyes for a second and wondered exactly what he was thinking.  
  
He sighed and relented under her iron stare. He laid her gently on the near-by couch, careful to keep her weight off of her left side. He caught her smug look and frowned before he turned and headed back towards the kitchen and the awaiting lunch.  
  
Kenshin wouldn't allow her to leave the couch and so insisted that she eat where she was. She had complained that she would be fine sitting at the kitchen table and that she would like the company. Kenshin couldn't deny her pleading eyes and so had solved the problem by joining her at the sofa. She had frowned of course, that was not what she had wanted. She didn't desire a new detention center; the bed was bad enough.  
  
---------------------  
  
Kaoru ate voraciously, which wasn't a good thing. For, moments after she had polished off her meal, and only moments before Kenshin could tell her it would be best if she slowed down, she realized her mistake. A state of queasiness settled over her stomach and her head clouded up. She quickly slipped off of the couch and started towards the bathroom, but found that her legs were still quite weak. Kenshin had instantly risen to assist her, but only made it in time to hold her hair back.  
  
"Sorry," she murmured, after the worst of the gagging had died.  
  
"It's probably from the concussion," he informed her, ignoring her apology.  
  
"Hai," she said miserably.  
  
Kenshin helped situate her on the couch again and offered her some water and a towel. She took them with a grateful look in her eyes before gulping down the water. She seemed to be thinking something over, but only tossed it around in her mind for several minutes.  
  
"I'd like to take a shower," she stated.  
  
"No,"  
  
She only seemed mildly disappointed; apparently she had been expecting that response. Kaoru's face changed into hardened resolve and she met his unfaltering gaze.  
  
"You can't stand," He pointed out before she could so much as utter a response.  
  
She chewed over this point before opening her mouth to speak again.  
  
"I'll take a bath," she concluded.  
  
"It's too soon since your head injury, you might pass out," he said mildly.  
  
"I won't," she affirmed.  
  
Kenshin just scowled at her, letting some of the leashed fierceness fill his amber eyes. When she fell silent and stared at the floor, Kenshin assumed that she had let the notion go. So he turned around and started for the carpet cleaning supplies.  
  
He was wrong.  
  
"I'm going to take a bath now, whether or not you approve," she said evenly.  
  
Kenshin turned and growled, "I don't."  
  
"I don't care," she said with equal intensity as she pushed herself from the couch.  
  
Kenshin new that he wouldn't win this battle, but only because the girl was obstinate beyond all reason. He didn't like the idea of losing, especially not to a five foot one, ninety-pound girl. Exasperation commandeered his face as he filled the tub with lukewarm water. Leaving the water running, Kenshin swiftly paced back to the living room and swept up a startled Kaoru from the couch. He set the girl in the filling tub, robe and all intact. He placed a folded towel on the floor and then left the bathroom with a loud thud signaling the door and the matter closed.  
  
-------------------  
  
"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked, gaining her attention.  
  
"Mmm?" she murmured from her position at the window.  
  
"What happened at the yakuza?" he asked calmly.  
  
Kaoru continued to stare out of the window, watching the twinkling city lights. Her mind was a mass of abstracts pictures, seething images of men and darkness, mingled with the remnants of pain. She shut her eyes, willing the phantoms to disperse so that she could collect her thoughts. What did he want to hear? What she felt? No.  
  
"The meeting is tomorrow at the Shiro Warehouse, midnight," she said.  
  
"That's not what I asked," he responded.  
  
"So! What do you care!?" she yelled angrily. She was surprised at her own reaction; she hadn't realized that she was so upset.  
  
Kenshin stared at her, Kaoru tried to identify the look in his eyes. Surprise? Anger? Hurt?  
  
"Gomen nasai," she said soberly. "I didn't mea-"  
  
"No," he interrupted. "You meant it."  
  
She flinched. He was right, she was angry with him, but for what? For sending her out there? For taking her away in the first place? For caring? Kaoru shook the thoughts away with a shake of her head.  
  
'Dammit,' she thought. 'What's wrong with me. I snapped at him over a simple question.'  
  
"Kenshin?" she asked, looking up. He was staring intently at her. Probably, he'd been giving her his full attention the entire time, even when she had paused for her mental tirade. She braced herself as she tried to gather her scattered wits. She was sorely hesitant to relive her ordeal. She didn't want his pity, going back there was her own decision.  
  
"You don't have to tell me, if that is not what you want to do," he said with a hint of sympathy.  
  
She couldn't help but feel relieved at the prospect of avoiding reliving the incident, but guilt overcame relief. She shook her head, he deserved to know.  
  
"No, Kenshin," she said. "You should know."  
  
She paused, eyeing the redhead for any further protests. He waited in rapt silence. So, she sighed and began.  
  
"They knew.."  
  
----------------------------  
  
Kenshin glanced at the girl, examining her resigned face.  
  
"They knew.." she said.  
  
Kenshin had figured as much.  
  
"I think they also know that you're a cop .. because they saw me leave with you, and that set them off."  
  
Kenshin watched her shake her head once more clearing her features of all emotions, as though she switched from an involved participant to a detached business-like manner. She straightened her posture, her gaze met his unwaveringly and her face achieved a uniform appearance. Kenshin imagined that this new facade was her professional yakuza attitude. All of the stoicism and rapt attention of a well-trained bodyguard.  
  
Kaoru continued without hesitation. "Initially, I had no reason to believe that they knew. But after the meeting, I was left alone in the room with four men. Right before Madame Tokio left, she said that she was aware that I had left with you, that I had betrayed her. I was unconscious with the first blow."  
  
Kenshin saw her eyes change slightly at that last comment. She lied, Kenshin knew. How much was she awake for? The broken arm? The smashed ribs at her side? Kenshin's thoughts turned dark and he scowled. If he hadn't already killed those bastards, he would make a point of tracking them down and finishing them off, but this time more slowly..  
  
"When I awoke, I was locked in a room somewhere in headquarters' basement." She concluded, leaning back into the sofa and quickly looking away from him.  
  
"Well?" he asked expectantly. Something was still bothering her, he could by the way she refused to meet his eyes any longer, even though she hid behind the cold facade. She turned around, her face remained blank as she eye d him with a detached gaze.  
  
"Hai?" she said with a flat tone. Looking away again.  
  
Kenshin knew she wouldn't tell him so he let the matter drop. Maybe when she's ready. Or maybe now..  
  
"What will happen to Madame Tokio and the others when.." her quiet voice faded off as she met his eyes again.  
  
"When we arrest them," he finished.  
  
"Hai,"  
  
So that was it, she was worried about her ex-gangster friends. He looked into her eyes, filled with concern and .. guilt. Guilt. Did she feel responsible for them? Yes, she did. But not just responsible, she was genuinely worried. Kenshin hadn't realized that she still harbored feelings for her former yakuza. He couldn't tell her the entire truth, not yet.  
  
"We will arrest them and prosecute. No unnecessary bloodshed,"  
  
She nodded. "They wont give up without a fight,"  
  
"I know. I'll do what I can to avoid that, " he assured her.  
  
"Arigato," she breathed. Though most of the anxiety fled her face, she still looked mildly worried.  
  
------------------------  
  
Kaoru was asleep when Kenshin left with his katana in hand.  
  
'Tomorrow. Midnight. Shori Warehouse.' He thought to himself as he rode down the abandoned streets, heading for his boss' office. He would be there, even this late at night.  
  
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Author's Notes:  
  
I know this took a long time. I've got no excuses. Sorry. Oh well, I hope whatever readers I've got left enjoyed it. The obligatory bathroom scene has been fulfilled. Nothing much.  
  
Oh, and if you're wondering, I got Kaoru's stats off of www.absoluteanime.com.  
  
- stony brook 


	11. Kaoru's Vignette

Fair Kyoto: Kaoru's Vignette  
  
When the stray was adopted..  
  
On the horizon smoke twisted into the milky sky from a tall metal stack edged on a boxy factory; a twining snake of billowing smog that crept higher and higher in to the atmosphere till it withered away into nothing. Like the tobacco pipe her father used to smoke in the evenings after a day on the brutish streets and a late Judo practice by himself. Until the one day she asked him, as he smoked his worn wooden pipe clutched in his large tough hand, to teach her. The slightly crinkled eyes that hovered over the hickory pipe had gazed down at her with a glassy look, obscuring the focus that usually penetrated his vision. Hai.  
  
Home. She hadn't had a home for so long, too long to remember. She had always imagined that home smelt like baking food and pine-scented floors. That home would belong to a smiling woman with an armful of laundry, held in firm hands that could hoe a weeded garden and soothe away tears from a scraped knee and ruined stockings. And a man who never came home angry and never read the newspaper at the breakfast table instead of talking to the woman with firm hands and herself. Who smelt like detergent and sweat and who bought her that chocolate she wanted even though the woman had said it would ruin her dinner and rot her teeth. Then had winked at her and told her not to tell her mother, then laughed when she nodded her head with a complete expression of seriousness that looked so peculiar on the face of a six-year-old child.  
  
Storms. The nights when she ran to their room, when the dark clouds rolled in with lightning and thunder that reminded her of the streets at night and brought back some very terrible memories. Her small heart pounding like a caged bird against her chest as tears rolled down her chubby cheeks, which she rubbed at with tiny fists. She would crawl in between them and bury herself between the sheets as the woman rubbed her back soothing up and down until she fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of the dark and terrifying sights. Like the men on the streets, drunk, haggard, and smelling like human refuse, lying in alleyways, passed out in their debasement. And worse things, stuff she didn't want to remember and so she drowned them with home and family.  
  
She had lived in the present as long as she could remember. On the streets she hadn't wanted to think about tomorrow and what new unpleasantries it might bring. The past was just a hauntingly unadulterated nightmare that harbored no consoling numbness, but instead a brutal reality that had threatened to overwhelm her, so she shoved it back into the recesses of her mind. Even when she had a home, she thought only of day-to-day life, because she feared with sometimes overpowering certainty that it was only temporary; that it was too good to last and so it would vanish one day and she would be left for the dark again. Even after his death, she had not thought of anything other than now, the future held nothing for her, of that she was certain, and the past was far worse. She had joined the yakuza to drown her past and future in a tide of mindless fighting, loneliness and anger.  
  
Now she is here, in a stranger's apartment. A stray that was lost before, once again rescued from the streets. And, in the shamble that is her life, there is another man mending her shattered stability.  
  
The more things change, the more they stay the same.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
I wrote this for several reasons: 1. I thought it might get me out of the writing rut I'd found myself in 2. I thought it might explain Kaoru's feelings about her home, about the streets, and about losing her adopted father 3. I also thought it might relate the character better and giver her more substance  
  
BTW: Sorry for the delay and I'm halfway through Chapter 11. 


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